Pokemon Apocalypse
by Crysi102
Summary: -BEING REWRITTEN- Maris is a young prodigy in the world of contests and battles alike. She's even got friends who are elite Rangers! But when a strange figure appears and asks for Maris' help, Maris is thrown into a never ending battle that will test all her skills and knowledge.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting an unwanting champion

"ALRIGHT! Hey there! I'm Ansu, your one and only announcer for the Pokemon Tournament of Six Tournament!" The woman who stood on the large metal platform raised her hand in the air, smiling at the roaring crowd. "Now! We have all witnessed the amazing feats of the competitors this year, have we not?" Another cheer. "Well, are we ready for this year's Finale?" She paused, manipulating a hovering holographic screen by her. "Alright! Now then, let's introduce the six competitors in this year's Battle Royal!"  
From the battle platform below, six people rose to the sunlight of the floating arena as Ansu exclaimed their names. "We have the great and powerful team of Genshi and his fighting type wonders! He starts with Hitmonchan!" iThe black belt below raised his fist, smiling evilly./i "Next up, is Sa-Chan and her grass beauties! She starts with her star Roselia!" iThe dress-wearing, parasol-holding girl giggled happily, and her roselia spun, showing her roses./i "Our third competitor is the scientist Bradly, leading with his Muk!" iThis man was wearing a purple-smudged labcoat, and he seemed more interested in his computer than what was going on around him./i "Alright, now, the youngest competitor, our greatly energetic Stephen, leading with a pikachu!" iThe young boy glanced around, unsure of what to focus on first./i "Now comes the fun part! The next competitor is the mysterious man who goes by only a code name. Here is the Dark User 'D' and his Ghastly Goul Haunter!" iThe man wore all black, and his face was coated in shadow, warning people to stay away./i "And finally, the one you've all been waiting for! She's a legend coming to age now, ready to make her way to the tall Title of 'Pokemon Champion' as her Grandfather and father before her! Here is Maris, leading with her Sneasel!"

The light is nearly blinding as I rise on the platform. I'd already weighed the competitors' strengths; that 'D' guy will be hard, but i have to watch for that Scientist. I can't help but flinch when they bring up Grandpa and Dad. Those are some big shoes to fill, I tell you. It isn't very easy to be yourself when everyone expects you to fill the shoes of someone as legendary as Red.  
Dusk, My Sneasel, hung on my shoulder, like always. We exchanged a glance and then turned to study the arena as Ansu explained that each member of this fight only had one pokemon to use. Absentmindedly, i rubbed the onyx amulet on my necklace. the black stone always helped me concentrate. Dad had given it to me.  
The arena was a simple metal arena. nothing special... yet.  
"Ready, Dusk?" I muttered. Dusk nodded and faded into her pokeball in a small red flash of light. I prepared and waited, making my face cool, hard, fierce.  
"Begin!"  
Chaos.  
That's what one could call the ensuing battle. Six pokemon all hit the field at once, and all six trainers shouted commands at once. Except me. I didn't have to think, talk, anything. With one move of my hand, my partner knew exactly what i wanted. That didn't stop me from being showy about it though. I made a large, sharp move with my hand and arm, calling for the attack.  
"Go."  
I couldn't help but say it, just as I couldn't help but smile at the feeling of adrenaline that rushed through my being.  
My first worry was that Haunter. He had type advantage on me, so I had to tread carefully, avoid him at all costs. Dusk, I knew, knew this, and rushed to pick a fight with the Hitmonchan across the circle from me. I took note that Pikachu over there knew Thunder and quick attack, and that Muk was dangerously low in health after such an attack. I also noticed Roselia was back to healing in her fight against Haunter who knew at least Shadow Ball and Sucker Punch. Oh, Wait. Add double team to that list. He just dodged magical leaf with it.  
I turned my attention back to my fight. The move we'd agreed on starting with was fury swipes, and Dusk was sticking to that. I noticed her use accelerate. That wasn't a good omen. If Dusk had to accelerate to keep up with this Hitmonchan...  
"Back off!" I shouted.  
Dusk leapt out of the way just as a Thunder raced by and hit the pesky fast Hitmonchan. I glanced over at Stephen. The young blonde smiled and thumbs-up'd me from his side of the circle. Glancing at the scoreboard, I noticed that Bradly had indeed been eliminated by this pipsqueak, with little damage to his Pikachu. I nodded gratefully to him before calling a Fury Swipes assault to back up the electric ally I'd picked up.  
"And it seems we may have an alliance forming between that Pikachu and Sneasel out there!" Ansu exclaimed happily. I blocked her out. As soon as Hitmonchan fainted, I turned my attention to that pesky Roselia.  
"I got the ghost if you get the grass!" Stephen called. So that's what he was after. Grass wasn't affected by electricity very well, so he'd chose someone to help out with it. I couldn't help but smile at this kid's guts.  
"Deal!" I replied. He laughed and called another attack. "Let's go!" I exclaimed, turning back to the fight. "Dusk!"  
Suddenly assaulted by two nearly full-health newcomers, the fighting duo broke up their battle and defended. I opened the new tag battle with a quick attack followed by fury swipes. The pure speed of both moves left Roselia stunned. "So that acceleration earlier wasn't completely for the Hitmonchan, eh Dusk?" I muttered. Dusk seemed to have heard and sped up again, now only a black streak in the arena. Shortly, the Roselia was done for, fainting after a sharp shadow ball to the face. I exclaimed something totally not understandable in victory and then turned back to the rest of the fight.  
Pikachu was in a tight spot. After several different double teams, Haunter was un-hitable. Combine that with the fact that he was a pure-blood ghost, and you got one nasty opponent. Dusk was spinning around to help when both of us realized it was too late. Something came out of the shadows now surrounding the field and knocked Pikachu back several feet, almost all the way across the field. I hadn't caught the attack name, nor had I recognized the attack. Whatever it was, it almost scared me.  
Almost.  
"DUSK!" I shouted. Why? Why was I so... strange? Mentally, I noted never to make a fool out of myself again like that.  
Dusk leapt forward, suddenly seeming several dozen times faster. This was her true speed. But I had my doubts. How could pure speed work up against evasiveness?  
The Haunter circled around behind Dusk, attempting a sucker punch. Dusk and I, as one, dodged the attack.  
"Such simple attacks won't work on me!" I exclaimed. Adrenaline did weird things to people when they battled... and I'll admit, I'm no exception to this. "DUSK!"  
Dusk heard my fierce shout and leapt up higher than most non-flying pokemon would be able to. She'd caught my message. The next thing that happened was NOT what most were expecting. I got showy.  
"SAVAGE GRACE!"  
I shouted the name of the move. Well... not 'move' I guess. It's more a self-made combo consisting of both fury swipes and the unseen move until now; dark pulse. I had originally made it for a contest back when I traveled through Sinoh, but shortly found out that it worked wonders in a fight too. Seeing as how no one but Dusk and I knew Dusk knew dark pulse, no one could actually say 'Savage Grace' wasn't an actual move... except that it wasn't. What happened was simple. Dusk likes attacking from the air, plus, it's show-ier that way. So, Dusk uses her insane speed to dodge an incoming attack and leaps upward. This in itself is insanely amazing to those who have never seen it before, and normally leaves people wide-eyed and stunned. Next, using her incredible speed and agility, Dusk shoots a dark pulse downward at the same speed she falls at. Somehow, we figured out how to almost wrap the pulse around the fury swipes. It's pretty insane if you ask me. Overall, what results is an insanely fast fury swipes with claws of increased size that radiate shadow and darkness and fear... all that fun stuff. I really like the attack, just because the initial action of wrapping the fury swipes makes a sort of- how do I put it?- 'Black Hole' that makes Dusk look like some glowing-red-eye shadow demon or something.  
Anyway...  
The attack hit solidly after one swipe, thanks to Dusk's great eyes and accuracy. We'd worked hard on that, fighting my good friend Keith's Ghastly over and over to make sure we can hit a double team'd moving pokemon on at least the second hit. Obviously that extra training was paying off.  
Savage Grace ended with the dark pulse dispersing, like normal. However, in the flurry of shadows, Haunter had found a way to escape. Checking the scoreboard, I confirmed Haunter did indeed only have a sliver of health left. I have to admit, that's one tough pokemon to have survived Savage Grace like that, but one more clean hit, and he would be done for. Only problem was that dark pulse was Dusk's only elemental attack to hit with. Fury swipes was low; one more use at most. That left us with agility, a stat boost move, and quick attack, which would be useless against the ghost-type Haunter.  
Gears whirled in my mind as Haunter began his next attack.  
I tuned out the cheering crowd and Ansu, both of which were overexcited because of my custom move's appearance. How to get out of this? Pressuring my mind to work as fast as possible, thoughts came and went. Dusk was slowly being beaten. She didn't have the greatest attack, and was left with her maxed-out speed as her greatest asset. Her attack was good, but not the best, with her sp attack being better for the sake of Savage Grace. Haunter had the type advantage, and though Dusk dodged a majority of what was thrown at her, what did hit did loads of damage.  
'Come on... think!' I thought to myself. 'I can only use Savage Grace one more time, but he'll be ready for it! What do I do to throw him off? Before he uses-'  
Suddenly, it happened. Haunter's last attack.  
"How the hell does he know Night Slash?" I shouted in both fear and amazement. From what I know, Haunter couldn't learn Night Slash.  
Suddenly, I found myself shouting something else. I wasn't scared, nervous, nothing in my voice even remotely seemed fearful. Dusk had no place to dodge to, no place to run, and no way to defend... so, I shouted an attack.  
"Quick Attack Savage Grace! Now!"  
My only chance was to strike first.  
Dusk launched off a ground-based Savage Grace and rushed forward, the white light of Quick Attack piercing the pure black around her. It was beautiful. Had this been a contest, it would have been an auto-win. Shadows rippled like water around the black smear that was Dusk. Her red feather added a hint of red to the mix of black and purple. Spines of white emanating from the quick attack punctured the darkness made by the pulse, and her claws held out behind her as she ran, as always when she ran, gave the feel of large wings. I could barely tell she was running, Dusk moved that fast. Even I gasped at the sight.  
Haunter's boosted evasiveness due to double team showed a trail of clones as he rushed forward, claws glowing a red-black. His fangs showed, and he had no intention of turning back. I knew it was useless though.  
I watched the scene in slow motion as Dusk slid under Haunter's strike and slashed with her glowing right claws. Metal strips were torn from the platform below and sparks emerged as her super-enlongated claws ripped through the floor like butter on their way to their target. Haunter tried in vain to twist and block, only to be hit by the left claws as they struck. The process of dodge, block, hit, dodge repeated again and again as the super speed Dusk and super evasive Haunter went at it. After the first hit, however, both D and I knew who the victor would be.  
Me.

Dusk and I were relaxing now, along with my other pokemon. Cario, my Lucario, lounged on a sofa beside his contest partner Iva; a Glacion, Umbra, an Umbrion, was play-fighting with Flare, my Flarion, and Blaze, my Infernape, was eating his brain out by the table where we'd ordered room service. You know you're in a five-star battle hotel when room service offers a 'never ending poffins' option. Seriously. I kid you not.  
I was laughing to myself about this when the door exploded open. And I very nearly literally mean 'Exploded'.  
"MARIS!" The intruder exclaimed. I found myself glomped on the floor, with some sort of cake box over my face. "YOU WON!"  
"Mmmmphaphhh!" Came my own muffled reply. I don't even know what I was trying to say.  
"Keith, do get off of her." A third voice introduced itself into the room.  
"But-" Keith groaned from on top of me.  
"Get off. Now." A fourth voice, female this time, growled. I knew instantly who that was. At her words, Keith heaved himself off of my now-squished self.  
"Ow..." I groaned.  
"Are you alright?" The third voice asked.  
"Yes, Thanks to you, Jenshi..." I replied, attempting to sit up.  
"Here." The fourth human occupant of the room offered her hand to me.  
"Thanks, Sei."  
"No problem."  
I turned to Keith who stood by the marble counter with a large cake box in front of him.  
"What was that for?" I growled.  
"Hey, I was just excited!" He shrugged. I sighed. There was no way to get another answer out of him.  
"What are all you doing here?" I asked, standing up. "I thought you all had to go out to Almia for something!"  
Sei shrugged. "We took a break."  
Jenshi sighed. "We got permission to come watch the Tournament of Six from Erma herself." He shrugged. "It's all Seishin's doing really."  
"The cake was my idea!" Keith exclaimed happily.  
"I don't doubt that." I laughed. "So you just got out of duty? Just like that? For me?"  
"Yeah, why not?" Sei responded. Now how did she already get on the television and locate the Contest Chanel? With popcorn too?  
"I feel honored." I said.  
"Don't be too honored. We go back to work tomorrow. How Sei wormed us out of patrol for three days is questionable enough." Jenshi muttered. "It's quite unlogical that Erma would just let THREE Top Rangers walk out of duty for three whole days..."  
The other occupants of the room glanced at Seishin who merely shrugged. "Told her we were gonna be on security at the tourney. Don't see how that hurts."  
Sei never fails to amaze me. She is just... well, she's just. That's about it. She's 'Just'. There is no other way to explain it. I could tell Jenshi wanted to smack her for lying right now, and Keith seemed too eager to eat than to worry about what was happening. I walked over to the small kitchen and grabbed a large cutting knife. It wasn't very sharp, but just about anything works at this point. Especially when our precious ice cream cake is melting.  
"Blaze, don't you dare run me out of prize money before I upgrade my gear." I growled at the Infernape as I passed. He paused, finger over the room service button, then sat the room phone down and finished his half-eaten poffin. I continued to cut the ice cream cake. I carried over a couple of plates to Sei and Jenshi where we lounged on the couch watching a contest final round.  
"AW COME ON!" Sei exclaimed at the poor Aipom who was attempting to use swift as his opponent- Pidgey- used gust to send it back in the purple monkey's face. She fell into a growling state muttering something about swift and air pressure. No doubt, she had a way to have cut the gust in three and boost her own style points in that situation.  
"You know, I love the Festival of Six." Jenshi said randomly after several minutes had passed. Now there was a tag team battle tournament on and Sei was trying to shout moves at the TV. She was being helped by Flare and Umbra. By now, Iva and Cario had retreated to the table by Blaze, and the three of them were finishing the last of the cake.  
"Why so, Jenshi?" I asked. "I thought you disapproved of using pokemon in violent acts like battles."  
"Battles for your personal greed is what I despise. I fully approve of the Tournament's way of doing things. I mean... There are people from all over now. Even Unova. They've never showed up to the Tournament of Six before!" He smiled. "The Tournament of Six is the only time now-a-days that you hear of such peace and coordination between all the regions." He chuckled silently. "I mean, as a Ranger, I don't often get to see this side of people. Not often does a Top Ranger like us get to relax and focus on the little things rather than some crime circle misusing pokemon for their own greedy purpose."  
"Ah..." I nodded. "That's understandable."  
I could see what he meant. All three of these friends are Rangers. Keith and Jenshi belong to the top twelve ranking rangers in all the regions- the Top Rangers. They work alongside legendary names such as Sven and Wendy. But their case is... special. That's the only word I can use to describe it. Seishin was, in a way, a Top Ranger as well, but not in a way one may think, and Jenshi and Keith are her allies. All three of them belong to a special devision of Rangers that was made by Seishin. See, Sei isn't just a ranger, but a trainer as well. Erma herself allowed her into the Ranger Union, but for some reason, Sei was allowed to keep her status as a Trainer as well. So, all three are... well, special cases, so to speak. As they were elite members of the Rangers, they rarely had a chance to rest and take it easy. For a semi-uptight person like Jenshi, that could be horrible.  
To me, that all seemed a distant nightmare. I wasn't a part of the Ranger Union. Not a bit, besides helping these three every now and again. No. Rather, I was the legendary daughter of a legendary master. I was the granddaughter of Red, daughter of his daughter; the great and mighty Silvia. Yeah. No pressure there. Not when your grandfather is the single most respected person on the face of the earth, even at age 50, not to mention that your mom happens to be the greatest freaking contest master on earth. Yeah. Seriously, no pressure. Everyone just suspects that greatness run in the blood. No big shoes to fill or anything, no overlooking shadows to stand in. No... Not at all.  
Blegh... Welcome to my life.


	2. Chapter 2: Where fans come to haunt me

I snapped awake. Wait... What?

Oh yeah. I'd fallen asleep last night.

In my half awake daze, I noticed two things. One- I had to go to the bathroom. Two- My pokemon were lying all over me.

I weighed my chances of getting up to go to the bathroom without disturbing any of the pokemon that lay around, and amazingly ON, me. The first issue, and by far he most prominent one, was that Blaze had found a way to wrap his arms around my midsection. Though, I have to admit that he WAS keeping me nicely warm. As for the Eeveelutons, Flare was curled in the crook of my knee, Umbra was curled AROUND my head with her chin propped on her paws by my forehead, and Iva was sprawled out in my arms, her paws extended outwards in a never-ending stretch. In this mess of pokemon and human, somehow Dusk had found a way to drape herself over my knees, and was now tossing and turning in what was no doubt a replay of today's match. That left my chanses of escaping this pile little to none.

I sighed. _I_ _guess_ _I'd_ _better just fall back asleep..._ I admitted defeat easily. And, curling up a little more, that's what I did.

The room was silent as the figure moved forward. She faded through the door, pausing as she passed a Lucario who slept lightly, arms crossed, a thin quilt wrapped around his back. He was a gentle looking Pokemon, and was soundly asleep in his position at guard by the door.

The person glided across the room quietly, not making a sound. She glanced at where the dim TV light shone on a few figures asleep on the couch in the sitting area. One, a black haired girl with angled features and a red jacket, lay with her head on the lap of a brown haired boy who was slightly older than her. He was reclining back with his arms on the couch back. A third person lay sprawled out on the floor, snoring lightly.

She turned her attention to the person asleep on the queen sized bed. The girl was surrounded by Pokemon of all types. Her eyes fluttered open when the figure passed, but shortly, the girl decided to let her eyelids slide closed again.

"Maris..." the figure said calmly. "Come to the tournament arena as soon as possible... Danger looms..." the figure felt its connection failing and allowed herself to fade away. "I will wait for you..."

I woke with a start. Glancing at the LED alarm clock I found out it had been less than two minutes since I last woke up.

I glanced around the room again, trying to not bug the pokemon around me. Iva's eyes fluttered open slightly, but then quietly slid shut. I sighed gently, reassuring myself that I had NOT just seen some faded ghost thing a few seconds ago.

"Maris..."

I gasped at the ghostly voice calling my name.

"Come to the Tournament arena as soon as possible..."

"Why?" I managed to gasp out.

"I will wait for you..."

I froze and waited, but the voice didn't reappear. I glanced around and then shook Iva a bit. "Iva... Iva... wake up."

Iva woke quietly and craned her neck around to look at me, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Help me wake up the rest please." I whispered. Iva nodded and stood. She stretched with a yawn and glanced at the clock. When she saw the time; somewhere around 1:30 AM, she glared my way, but then shook her head and walked up to Umbra, nudging the Umbreon with her nose. Umbra groaned then peeled his eyes open, shooting Iva killer glare that bordered on a Night Shade.

"Oh, give it up..." I muttered at the stubborn dark pokemon. Umbra hauled himself up and stalked to the other pillow where he curled up again, but luckily, he didn't fall back asleep.

I sighed at Umbra's stubborn side, but I let it drop and returned to peeling away Blaze's iron grip. How, exactly, had Blaze gotten so strong? Years of using Close Combat in the strangest and most creative ways. Yep. I knew I'd somehow regret that someday. By the time I'd removed Blaze's two arms and turned to wake him, Iva had woke Dusk and Flare, and they had gone to sit by Umbra. Blaze remained stubborn and it took somewhere around three minutes to wake him.

l turned to glance at the door where Cario sat. He had this habit of 'sitting guard' during the night. He'd watch whatever entrance to the room we had, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Once, I'd tried to sleep without him knowing, trying to keep him in his pokeball. He'd snuck out and sat by the door, not moving all the next day, and not letting me out either. Ever since then, when I was bored out of my mind for a whole day, I'd always let him sleep by the door. I was even given a quilt for him for when it got cold. Sei and Jenshi had given it to me on the anniversary of when Cario and I had met the Trio of Rangers. It was a dark blue blanket with a purple etching in it. The embroidery was in the shape of Cario's favorite symbol; a small crystal with some sort of added decoration around it in the shape of flames. I'd long since made it my symbol, as Cario is so close to me. We'd been together ever since the furthest reaches of my memory, as had Dusk. Us three'd been together throughout my childhood. Cario had been my first ever pokemon. I've known him since he was a Riolu fresh out of a poke-egg. I'd found his egg out in the cold one winter around christmas time, and hauled it into the house. I hid it with Dusk's help until he hatched. Those were fun days. I'd tried to hide the poor Riolu for nearly a year before my mom found us one day. I still remember how she'd just smiled and handed me a pokeball. She'd said, "Use this on your birthday. I know he'll like it." And indeed, on my tenth birthday, when I started my journey, Cario had instantly leapt into his new luxury ball, and he, along with Dusk- Whom I'd received as a present from my mother, became my first two pokemon.

I smiled at the memories. "Cario..." I called gently. Cario's head snapped up instantly, his eyes automatically focusing on me. "Come on over." He stood, but only after glancing around cautiously and pulling the quilt off his shoulders did he walk my way.

Once all my pokemon were gathered around, I told them what I had heard. All at once they displayed expressions of disbelief and wonderment. Dusk nodded, as if expecting a challenge. At her approval, I had my team return so we could easier sneak out. Then, standing, I made sure that the Trio were sleeping. After making absolute certain that they were sound asleep, I walked out of the door, shutting it with a silent 'clack'

"hm... I'll admit, getting in was pretty hard." I muttered to myself.

I sighed, but walked forward into the arena, Dusk at my side, hanging on my shoulder. I made my way cautiously to the center of the arena. Nothing was here, I knew it. Groaning, I turned to leave.

"You came... I am grateful to you for that..."

I spun around. "Who?" I gasped out loud at the sight in front of me.

The shadows in the middle of the arena swirled and glowed,illuminating the figure in front of me. She had pale skin and red eyes. Her long, flowing, shadow-like dress instantly reminded me of a... Giratina.

Great. Some creepy cosplayer.

"Who are you?" I asked the cosplayer.

"To warn you." The cosplayer said.

"About?" I didn't feel like going through this fan's game. "It's one thirty in the morning. What do you want?"

"Maris. You are in danger." the cosplayer said.

"What?" I wondered out loud. This was stupid. "You know, I don't care. This is useless. I'm leaving." I turned to leave the arena... Only to find there wasn't one anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Hey there~ first author note~ yay~**

**Sorry for not putting the note there last chapter... I forgot to write it and I'm too lazy to go fix it. Lol**

**So, please review? The story is gonna pic up shortly, I promise~ thanks for reading~**


	3. Chapter 3: Some much needed explanations

I gasped. The arena... simply wasn't there anymore. Dusk growled in fear at the nothingness we now existed in.

Have you ever had the dream where you just don't exist in anything except space? Where you feel like you are eternally falling? Well, that's what this was. Dusk and I were simply floating in a blue-green-black space.

I spun around on a nonexistent floor to see the cosplayer... also didn't exist anymore.

"What the-" I exclaimed. I was staring at a large ghost pokemon.

The pokemon was huge with wisps of shadow flowing off it like claws. It's head was circled by what seemed like a golden helmet. From underneath the helmet was a large, fanged mouth, and two glowing red eyes. It looked like a large centipede without the legs. I instantly knew who it was.

"Giratina...?" I gasped. I didn't believe it. How on earth could this be happening? This was the legendary alternate dimension pokemon; Giratina! Talking to ME! "I have got to be having a nightmare..." I growled at myself stubbornly.

"You are not dreaming..." Giratina responded to my growl. Its voice was faded and distant, and I could barely see the form of it's shadow. "I promise you... This is real..."

"What is going on then?" I don't know why I spoke these words, but I did. The answer the Giratina replied with was- what's the word?- astounding.

"I have come to ask for your help..."

"What do you mean?"

"I have come... to bring you to the future."

"The future?"

"Yes..."

"Wouldn't that make some... time paradox or something?"

"Not with the power of Celebi and Dialga backing our actions..."

"Woah..." I stuttered, my voice shutting off on it's own.

"With the help of Celebi and Dialga, you will be brought into the future, where we are in dire need of your help..." Giratina said. I glanced around in amazement as suddenly, the arena around me moved at a high speed, almost as if going in fast-forward on a video tape. People were blurs as they raced by. I counted two, three, four tournaments passing through, then, the whole place was deserted. As this happened, Giratina continued speaking. As she spoke, she became stronger in both voice and appearance.

"After your tournament victory, a tragedy strikes... Maris... Your grandfather... shortly after your victory, is also brought to the future."

"Wait... What?" I exclaimed. My grandfather is Red, the greatest trainer ever! I couldn't believe that something could happen to him. "That's impossible! Red would never-"

"He didn't on purpose... Let me explain..." Giratina said. I listened reluctantly. I still didn't believe that something could have happened. "We don't have long..." Giratina said, "So I will make this quick...

"Long ago, Red was indeed the greatest trainer there was. As you proceed on your adventure, however, he is soon attacked by a man who calls himself Cerberus. This man attacks and defeats Red, and gains a vital piece of information out of him... Cerberus learns the location of a legendary item called the Time Gear.

"Cerberus then traveled back in time and battled Red when he was a new trainer. This has thrown all of the timelines off course. As you know, I am Giritnina, the reverse world Pokemon. You see me as human due to Darkrai's ability over illusions. In fact, I am not truly here at all. You are swing me as a projection that Palkia and Darkrai allow to be seen. We are in a space made by Celebi, the time Pokemon, as well as Palkia again. In truth, the only reason we are all able to do this is due to Jirachi, the wish granting Pokemon."

I almost couldn't listen anymore. My body felt pinched and pulled in every direction. Giratina listed off nearly every legendary I knew, from Palkia, Dialga, and Darkrai to Raquaza, Jirachi, and Deyoxs.

"Maris, I have no more time. You will not find me or the others in this world you are going to emerge into, but the scenario will be the same. This world is going to be unfamiliar, unknown to you. The way you see the world of Pokemon will change drastically in the next three or so hours. But do not fear. You can do it."

Giratina's shadow vanished with her next words.

"Farewell... Maris"

* * *

My body was groaning in protest as something shook me awake. The feeling in my arms and legs returned first, with that feeling that you get when you've sat too long cross-legged and your foot is all tingly. I could feel the vice-like grip on my arm as it was shaken. Next that came was my sense of smell. The musty air settled heavily in my nose, the smell of dust and grime was strong in the air. I don't know when my sense of taste came back, but I could tell I'd bit my lip or something, not to mention that my parched throat had just recently been replenished with a drink. My sore muscles ached as I forced my eyes open, allowing the dim, golden light to filter into my tired eyes, returning my sight in a flurry of black dots. As I blinked the dots of nothing from my field of vision, I sat up with the hands' help and my hearing returned slowly, foggily. It felt at first like I was underwater, but shortly, I could make out what the wild-eyed blonde boy was asking.

"-You okay?" He asked, concern filtering through his gaze.

"Wha-?" I muttered, my voice was hoarse, scratchy, dry.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked again. "If you can move, we need to get you away, quickly!"

Urgency surfaced under his tone of concerned fear. I could feel my attentiveness returning, and a strange sense of hurry washed over me. I felt adrenaline start pumping through my veins as I realized the source of his fear.

I was in the middle of a fight.

"CALEB! GET HER OUT!" A tall teen with midnight black hair shouted. Why was he holding a sword that seemed made of electricity?

"Come on!" The blonde boy exclaimed, pulling me up. He hauled me along behind him, my jelly legs slowing us down considerably. I stumbled once, then quickly leapt up and dashed beside him, the instinct of unease urging me forward.

The boy led me down one hall after another of some dark, dank place. The stench in the air made me gag, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the darkness that coated the place. I struggled on blindly, only following the blonde streak of hair in front of me.

"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" He shouted to me as we turned a corner at high speeds. He yelped in surprise.

I heard his yelp and, being a few steps behind, dropped down to the ground, sliding along the ground, my hand immediately reaching for my pokeball.

I guess now was not the time for me to realize the two things I did. First of all, the boy was defenseless. He had nothing, not even a pokeball. Second, he was being held by a large man with burly arms... four of them to be exact. It was a superpower pokemon- Machamp. A few smaller men stood behind the large blue pokemon, all dressed in black with some strange golden 'C' on the front of their shirt. Three other pokemon stood there as well, an Onix, a Haryama, and none other than a highly angry looking Weavile who had obviously just missed me with a swipe of its claws.

The boy, Caleb, let out another yelp of pain as I recovered my footing. In a split second, I took in everything that was happening.

Caleb was caught by the Machamp's strong- if I didn't know he couldn't use the move, I'd say it was vice grip- four arms. His arms were pinned to his sides, and his eyes radiated pure fear. He just seemed scared, and occasionally, he would yelp in pain again as the Machamp tightened its grip. The thought of a kidnapping floated through my mind.

At the same time, I saw the Weavile spin around to attack me again, a shadow claw breaking the faint light in the tunnel-hall. No one had ordered the attack.

I moved in the last bit of that split second, my hand whipping out faster than any eyes could track. I said no words, I didn't need to; Dusk knew what she had to do.

The Weavile leapt forward, slicing dangerously close to Dusk's head as the smaller Sneasel ducked and struck out with a shadow ball of her own. Weavile was hidden momentarily in a cloud of dust when the attack hit, and dusk readied a quick attack for an escape as the Weavile retaliated with another shadow claw.

My hand readied another pokeball as Caleb shouted again, the vice grip getting tighter. Machamp turned, looking to flee with the young blonde in its arms still.

"Where do you think you're going?" I shouted, launching out another pokeball. In the normal flash of light, Cario leapt forward to cut off the larger fighting pokemon. I hit a button on another of my Pokéballs, releasing Umbra from inside. "You'd better learn not to run off with things that aren't yours!" I exclaimed. Then, I mentally slapped myself for just using the worst line ever.

Cario revved up an aura sphere, and without launching it, slammed into Machamp's exposed hands. Caleb let out a gasp from either pain or shock at the impact, but was shortly released as Cario aura sphere'd the other set of hands and released the blonde boy form his captor.

Checking on Dusk, I saw she was easily out moving the Weavile, though it was an even match. Neither of them seemed to have the advantage.

Cario grasped Caleb around the midsection and leapt above a Mach punch, flipping over the huge blue Machamp. He dashed my way, a screaming Caleb in his arms, dodging another round of punches.

Something distracted me for a second. Why wasn't any of the black-wearing-gold-c trainers calling attacks? Why want the Onix attacking? That giant rock snake thing just looked bored. Weavile didn't seem to want to actually hurt Dusk; rather, it seemed that they were sparring. Machamp was the only aggressive one of the group. What was up with these people?

I quickly regained my composure as Cario reached me. Machamp was right behind my Cario, and he lunged forward, trying to punch at me.

"humph... as expected." I said.

I guess I got showy again at this point. Umbra leapt over my shoulder, his red eyes glowing as he emitted shadow in a night shade. The darkness surrounded us, and it felt like home. Caleb was panicking, but luckily remained quiet as we silently went back the way we came.

Only then did I realize the one thing I'd overlooked, just as Haryama punched me in the stomach and my world spun into a hazy white as I blacked out.

* * *

The Lucario holding Caleb spun around at the girl's shout. He sat Caleb down outside of the strange shadow cloud and shot him a pointed look not to interfere before leaping into battle again, this time sparring off with the small yellow Haryama. Caleb watched as the black, catlike Umbreon pulled the girl toward him.

The short blonde was still recovering from the shock of what had just happened. Now that he saw them, the red and white pokeballs on the girl's belt were taunting and obvious. Those orbs were not ever seen around anymore. He held back his excitement and wonder at the sight of them, and slowly stood, facing the Black-wearing men.

"Servants of Cerberus, eh?" He growled at them. "You think you can just waltz into OUR Underground and capture me, huh?"

He grabbed the whistle on his neck, and ripped it from the chain concealing the yellow-painted whistle under his short yellow coat. Throwing his arm out to his side, he glared at the Servants.

"Get ready to see what you just tried to control." Caleb moved the thin whistle to his lips and blew a high, shrill note from it, the ringing sound echoed along the dank halls of the abandoned sewer. He heard the thing no one else could in the area; the tiny tapping sound of footsteps. He noted that the Sneasel seemed to have heard as well. That was interesting.

The lead Servant of Cerberus laughed loudly. "Your whistle does nothing to us! No doubt our squad has locked down your Summoning area! There is no way you can Summon whatever pokemon that calls!"

"Try telling that to HIM." Caleb said as soon as he felt the footsteps near. "Go."

Tiny feet hit his back and sprung off his shoulder, lunching the small golden creature into the air. With a call, a bolt of lightning sprung from the Raichu's cheeks. The bright lightning hit the Haryama and bounced to the Weavile, Machamp, then to the Leader himself.

"Onix!" One of the Followers shouted. At his command, the Onix shook the walls, doing something.

"Sneasel! Get back!" Caleb shouted at the small blade pokemon. It heard him, and leapt back, the Lucario with it.

At the Onix' earthquake, the ceiling of the old tunnel cracked and promptly collapsed, separating the Servants from the electric trainer.

Caleb sighed in relief and fell back on his butt. "Ugh... wow." He panted. He patted Raichu's head. "You did good, Rei."

Rei- The Raichu- smiled at the compliment. The panting Sneasel and Lucario met by the Umbreon and the girl. The Lucario reached for one of the small red and white orbs on the girl's belt. It pressed the button on the front of it, and a small white and blue cat thing appeared. It glanced around, blinking sleep from it's eyes. After a swift prompting from the Sneasel, the blue-white cat saw the girl. It seemed to gasp as it neared her.

Caleb watched in wonder as the strange white cat nudged the girl's face, purring a bit. It blew on her ear, a white mist escaping its mouth and the girl snapped awake, leaping up and grasping her ear with a gasp of panic.

"IVA!" The Girl exclaimed. She stared at the blue-whit cat. "THAT'S COLD! WHY'D YO-" She was cut off by the Sneasel leaping to hug her.

Caleb had to chuckle.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there's that... not much of a cliffhanger, yeah, but i'm getting to it. next chapter will have some... EXPLANATIONS! *DAH DAH DAAAAAAH!***

***sigh* it took forever to write this... It I'm glad I did. The story is picking up, slowly, but it is picking up. Please review, follow, fave, whatever. Thanks~ :D**


	4. Chapter 4: The Head Honcho and a Mouse

**A/N: oh yeah~ I'm back! Okay, so, here I am, back with Pokemon apocalypse. I am sooooo sorry that this is so slow... I have a ton of stuff happening in my life right now... But... Anywho, lets get down to it~ :D**

* * *

Dusk leapt into my arms, hugging me tightly. We were safe. She was obviously nervous about what had just happened. I glared at Iva for a second before inviting her into the hug, alongside Umbra who I dragged in against his will. Cario stood beside me, arms crossed, and his gaze resting uneasily on the blonde boy. Before talking, I looked at the boy for a second, taking in his entire appearance.

He was probably shorter than I was, standing most likely a head shorter. His hair was messy from running and dodging what appeared to be a collapse in the tunnel. He wore a short golden jacket and a black tee shirt that hungover his plain yellow jeans. A thick belt was wrapped around his waist, but nothing was on it. His tennis shoes were worn, and also matched the bright yellow-gold of his hair, eyes, and jacket. In his hand there was a thin yellow whistle of sorts, like one that would call a Houndoom when hunting. The whistle was attached to a small leather string that had a quick-snap hook on it like the kind kids would have on removable necklaces. It was designed to be taken off easily. Beside him was a Raichu, and the orange mouse pokemon was returning Cario's glare easily. Something about this kid made him seem dangerous, yet he seemed so... Simple.

The boy tucked his whistle away and then proceeded to stare at me. I shifted uncertainly under his gaze.

"Uhm..." I muttered as Dusk stood.

"Oh! Sorry... I... Didn't mean to stare..." The boy stuttered. "It- it's just... uhm..."

"What is it?" I asked.

"That..." He pointed at the red and white orbs at my belt.

"Oh, the pokeballs?" I asked. "What's so strange about a trainer carrying pokeballs?" He was seriously confusing me at this point. He must have just befriended the Raichu, but that wouldn't explain the fact that the Raichu looked at the boy like he was the mouse's trainer.

"Trainer?" The boy asked cautiously. "Trainers don't exist anymore..."

* * *

It had been four hours since he said that. His name was Caleb, and the Raichu was Rei. They'd taken me through tunnel after tunnel for the last four hours, refusing to tell me more until I met a guy named 'Nebula'. I noticed his eyes flicking back and forth nervously, and I decided it was best to remain quiet. Umbra and Iva had been returned (Caleb had been amazed by this act), and now Cario guarded the back of the group and Dusk walked by my side.

We walked down another corridor and Caleb finally stopped. This tunnel didn't look any different than the rest of the sewer-like tunnels before. I was about to mention this when Caleb spoke.

"You can NOT tell anyone other than those inside about this place. Got that?" The blonde said.

"Sure." I said, "Promise."

Caleb seemed content, and shortly decided to turn to the tunnel wall. He reached forward and knocked a pattern of one-three-two on the brick. I was beginning to think he was crazy when a brick two down from where we stood moved and was pulled into the wall. Caleb glanced into the wall, muttering something to what seemed to be a person on the other side. He reached or something on his belt, but I didn't see what it was. Flashing it at the other person, Caleb glanced cautiously back at me.

"...see Nebula." I caught him say. "After that..." His whisper trailed off as he turned away again.

After about a minute of waiting, the brick replaced itself. At first, I really did think he was crazy, but shortly there was a low rumble. The brick wall moved, sliding to the side to reveal a dark corridor. A short and thin brown haired kid poked his head around the corner, his bright green eyes locking onto me then to Caleb. One eye seemed duller than the other, and the sight of a thin scar across his face sent shivers down my spine. He couldn't have been more than seven.

"We'com' back." The kid said. He tossed something to Caleb who caught it carefully. "I stays on guard till noon ish. Torch'll get ya there. Neb's just comin' back from whatever you guys were doin', so I'd not interrupt 'im yet. Reportin' ta tha group, ya know?"

Caleb responded easily to the kid's slurred and broken speech. "Thanks, Mouse." He said. Caleb out the object to his lips, and I realized it was another whistle thing, red this time. He blew a lower, warbling note as Mouse slid the brick wall back into place. A thin strip of lights ran along the tunnel, giving only a slight glow to see by. A sound echoed through the hall. Footsteps?

"How many here this time, Mouse?" Caleb asked casually, ignoring the sound altogether.

"A'most all 'em." The warp-faced Mouse said. I nearly jumped from my skin when I saw that Mouse's dimmer eye was glowing slightly. "Tha tourney comin' up an' all."

"Thought that'd be the case." Caleb said. He glanced down the tunnel. "Ah, Torch's here."

I glanced down the tunnel for this 'Torch' only to see a faint red glow appearing down the tunnel. The figure that was cloaked in the flames grew closer until I could see what is was. 'Torch' was a Quilava.

"Hey, Torch buddy!" Caleb exclaimed as the Quilava neared. Torch leapt up into Caleb's arms, seeming to laugh happily. "Can you bring us in?" Torch leapt to the ground and dashed off down the hall, stopping just before turning a corner.

I hesitated as Caleb ran after him. "What do you think, Dusk?" I asked.

"Ya can tru' 'im miss." I heard Mouse's scratchy voice behind me. He slightly glowing eye frightened me again, but quickly it turned into a gentle, calming glow. "Cal'b's eh nice kid, alway' 'elpin me. Neb's nice too... Ju' don' get 'im mad, 'kay?"

Caleb was beckoning from the corner, and not really knowing what was happening, I went to join him. Cario gripped my hand in his large paw, its warmth made me feel more. Comfortable in this darkness. Glancing at the Lucario's face, I saw he was seeing through aura. I felt even better about that.

The system of tunnels were like a maze, and I had to sprint to keep up with Caleb and Torch. I would catch glimpses of them as they waited at corners for us to see them, but those were few and far away. Dusk and I were relying on Cario's aura sense as we dashed around the seemingly endless tangle of tunnels.

Finally, we caught up Caleb and Torch stood by a large steel door. The blonde boy was rubbing the pokemon's head while offering a poffin. Torch smiled happily and then vanished in a small burst of light. (I caught a glimpse of him running down a spare hallway. How he got there was a mystery though.)

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Let me show you." Caleb said. He reached up to the door and placed his golden hunting whistle in a key hole. There was a mechanical click and the door swung inward. Caleb naturally walked forward, not at all upset about the cavern we were going into.

It was an underground world.

We were on a large industrial balcony overlooking the area underneath. Water made up a majority of the area immediately around us, and channels of metal walkway crisscross end the water, forming a large pattern of mazes on the lake top. Ramshackle huts littered the walkways, lining the edges. What seemed to be Christmas lights hung from rooftop to rooftop, and were the only source of light other than half working street lamps that were attached to the walkway railings. Several sewer pipes that spilt the mucky water into the lake from under wooden walkways lined the walls from each direction, and people walked casually in and out of them. Towards the center of the lake was a large chain roof, circular building which seemed to be the main part of the makeshift town. People wearing grubby clothes swarmed in clusters, traveling in groups of five or six at a time, leaving gaps between each cluster at times and meeting up and merging at others. Around the chain-link roofed building were several open air shops, with merchants selling anything from clothes to shoes to food and back again. To my surprise, there was not a Pokemon in sight.

Caleb turned to the right and started down the balcony stairs, and I followed somewhat dazed. We passed a leaving group who wore heavy green jackets and mismatched visored helmets on our way down the stairs. Caleb nodded to them when the group of three nearly fell snapping to attention. The motion left me wondering just what part in this city the blonde played.

One of the three leaving was a short boy, no older than twelve. He looked at me through his dusty visor with wide eyes planted in his dirty face. Meeting his gaze, I couldn't help but feel... Something. I don't know what. Maybe it was guilt? Pity? I don't know. The boy stared until another who stood behind him pushed him forward, but the older boy gave Cario a look of disbelief before moving on.

The results we the same anywhere we went, people in dark green would salute to Caleb then stare at Cario and Dusk until it seemed their eyes would pop out of their sockets. Caleb would then wave them off and chuckle before leading onward. Those who didn't wear the dark green coats just merely stared in either disbelief or hatred. It was hard to tell which.

Caleb led us through the walkways with ease, and he chatted a bit about something, I don't remember what. Something about sushi and ramen. Meh. Don't care.

Finally, we reached a building in relatively good shape. It was a short three story building that sat beside the chain roof. Two of the Greencoats, as I'd started calling them, stood outside the entrance. They saluted as Caleb approached, letting him in... And... Blocking me. Figures.

"She's with me." Caleb said.

"But sir!" The left Greencoat protested, "Outsiders are-"

"NebulaBlack wants to see her. I am escorting. Let her through." Caleb said blandly.

The Greencoats paused for a second, hesitating, then stepped back cautiously. However, they didn't fail to stare at Cario as everyone else had and glanced cautiously at Dusk before they moved. I glanced at Cario and Dusk, gaining their consent before I had them return to their Pokeballs. I passed by cautiously, once again wondering about this 'NebulaBlack' that everyone seemed to know.

Caleb led me into the three story building, quite quietly too. He glanced around before leading me into a room, almost as if he'd lied to get me here.

We passed several groups of Greencoats, and they all gave me 'the stare'. All but one, I mean. But he wasn't a Greencoat, so he doesn't count. A tall teen, around my age, with midnight black hair was being escorted by several Greenoats. Caleb carefully stepped aside for the procession, pulling me against with him. The midnight haired guy met Caleb's glare evenly, almost uncaring. Caleb nodded slightly, a remote move that no one but the midnight hair would see, except me of course. To my surprise, the poison glare of the midnight hair broke to nod back, even slighter than Caleb's gesture.

Though this event startled me, I had no time to think as Caleb dragged me towards the door that the midnight hair had come from. I couldn't help but ask the question that was gnawing at me.

"Who was that, and where are we going?"

Caleb froze at the question. Staring at me incredulously he spoke cautiously. "That was... Markus... A fellow General of... The..." He paused, brows furrowing.

"General? Like of an army?" I exclaimed.

"You know... I don't rightly know wether or not we have a name." Caleb muttered. He only just realized what I had asked. "An army? I guess you could say that. We prefer 'Community' though." He shrugged and continued to move through the hallway, forcing me to follow. "But that doesn't matter much, does it?" He sighed. "Markus is technically my superior officer, in rank, seniority, AND age. Even though I'm only a half year younger..."

Caleb continued to growl about the fact that his age made Markus better than him, but we quickly arrived at what seemed to be our destination.

"We're here." Caleb said. "You are going to meet NebulaBlack, our leader. You can call him Nebula. Let me do the talking though... He may not be very agreeable right now... Not after what happened."

"What happened?" I had to ask. Had to. I do regret sounding so kid-like when I asked though.

"I'm not sure I can tell you." Caleb said. "Nebula might though." He pushed the large double doors open.

Instantly, yelling voices bombarded us. There were two people yelling at one another; a woman with red hair who seemed to be in her early twenties, and a tall man with what seemed to be purple hair and was about thirty or so.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU GOT CAPTURED?" The man exclaimed, much louder than needed.

"SHUT UP! YOU KNOW I HAD THAT UNDER CONTROL!" The girl yelled in a rage.

"THEN WHY DID YOU SEND OUT A DISTRESS SIGNAL? HUH? WHY DON'T YOU TRY TO ANSWER-" the man's gaze fell on Caleb and I, and he quickly silenced himself. The girl noticed his sudden pause and whirled around herself.

"CALEB!" She exclaimed, her face turning beat red. "What are...?"

"Came to see Neb." Caleb explained, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Didn't mean to intrude on you, Hitori."

"You did a bloody good job of announcing yourself!" The girl- Hitori- growled.

"Watch your language, Hitori." The man, I presumed that he was this 'NebulaBlack' everyone was talking about, said quietly.

"Shut up." Hitori muttered. "I'm out of this dump." She stalked out the door, glaring poisonously at me as she went. I followed her with my gaze as she walked out the door and was picked up by her own escort of Greencoats.

"She a General too?" I asked Caleb under my breath.

"Hitori Ayame." He confirmed. "Believe it or not, her element is ice."

"Wha...?" I stuttered. That simply could NOT be true. Could. Not. That fire-y girl could NOT be an ice user.

Caleb turned away from my stunned face to bow slightly to the other man in the room. "I apologize for the intrusion, Nebula. I thought you'd want my report as soon as I arrived."

"I would. Lets hear it then." The man- Nebula- said gruffly. He sat stiffly back into his chair behind a long desk. The desk and the chair were the only furnishings in the dark room. The man rubbed his temples through medium length purple-black hair as Caleb started to speak.

"After Markus took over at the fight, we went down the tunnel, and ran into some... Servants of Cerberus." Caleb smiled awkwardly again as Nebula's head shot up, his dark violet eyes wide with horror.

"They had us surrounded?" Nebula gasped. "They shouldn't have known about that tunnel! How did they...?" Something more important seemed to intercept his thoughts, and this was obvious as he leapt up, hands slamming into the desktop with a 'BANG'. "We're they after-?"

"I think so, yes." Caleb clenched his fist. It was a minuscule movement, and I was sure I was the only one who caught it. "They tried to capture me as I ran. If I would've gone alone..." He looked down, and an air of worry and tension fell on the room. "If she hadn't been there..."

Nebula looked up at me in the tense silence. "This is the one we found?"

"Yeah." Caleb responded.

NebulaBlack stood and walked over to me. He stood at least a head and a half higher than I did, and looked, very literally, down on me. His pure presence, with the dark black coat that reached his knees and his tall military boots, unnerved me to no end.

"What is your name?" The words were a soft whisper, a polar opposite that of my first sight of the man.

"Maris." I muttered, not wanting to talk louder than a whisper.

"Maris..." He seemed to be weighing my name as he looked me over. I tried to stand taller, seem stronger, more confident. "I thank you... For saving Caleb."

I stammered for a second, hesitating and unsure of what to say. "It was... No problem?"

"You see, Maris, what you did was extremely important. Caleb happens to be carrying an important item with him at the moment, and if the Servants of Cerberus were to get their hands on it, we'd be in a lot of trouble." Nebula sighed. "From what Caleb has said, it seems you saved his life. That can't be simply 'no problem'." He seemed to be looking me up and down again. "Might I ask how you did it?"

"Well..." I started. Caleb interrupted.

He stepped forward and whispered something in Nebula's ear, something that made the leader's eyes widen slightly in wonder. Nebula looked back up at me, again with that calculating gaze. After a minute or so, Nebula was left staring at me as Caleb stepped away.

I felt really uncomfortable.

"Are you just gonna stare at me?" I asked quietly.

"You look like..." Nebula muttered as he realized something. His eyes went wide, and he spoke as if in a daze. "...could you be...?"

"Neb?" Caleb asked.

Nebula's strange moment was over, and he quickly talked, as if to cover for the last moment's hesitation. "Maris. We hold a tournament every month or so, to determine who should be a part of our ranks. If you get to the last few rounds, you are allowed to become a member of the protection force. If you defeat the General who awaits you, you can become a General yourself." He paused an looked me over again. "I would like to just hand you the title right now, however, you need to gain the people's trust first. Please, join the selection tournament. It would be an honor to have the participation of a Trainer such as yourself."

I thought it over for a second. That cosplayer who called herself Giratina had said Red was here, and not the Red I knew, but a younger him. If I were to blindly look for him with those 'Servants of Cerberus' around, then the results may not be pretty. But I felt like I could trust Caleb, though Nebula was a bit strange. However, could I truly just rush into this sorta thing without any idea as to what exactly the situation was? Could I truly assume that these were the people I could trust?

Then again... I didnt know anyone else, so this was my best change at actually learning something and finding Red in the first place. Having thought about that, I turned my attention back to Nebula.

"Alright." I said. "I'll take that challenge."

"Good." Nebula spoke like he knew my answer long before I'd said it. "The tournament is starting shortly. I'll let them know you are joining." He smiled a smile that made a shiver run down my spine. "I hope to see good things out of you."

* * *

**A/N: Neb is awesome~ I love him so much~ XD**

**So, how many people actually read this? I can't really tell, because none of ya review or fave! So, please do~ thanks!**

**The next chapter may take a while, but I promise action... And plot. Plenty of plot development. (Gotta find a conflict... O.e") so, look forward to it!**


	5. Chapter 5: announcement

**Gigantic author's note!**

Me: I have decided that the story is moving like molasses, and I'm gonna completely rewrite this entire thing.

Maris: WHAT? But you stopped it right at the next fight scene! Why the fudge would you-

Jenshi: no, Maris, what she says makes sence. *adjusts glasses* the story is moving very slow, and needs a jump start and rewrite.

Me: *nods in agreement*

Jenshi: I mean, if you look at these stats, not many have actually read all the chapters, and no one has followed.

Neb: that's harsh...

Kieth: but this sounds so boring.

Jenshi: it will probably take long enough to rewrite, but using this as a template...

Me: I can get it done faster~ ^^

Jenshi: exactly.

Maris: *sighs* alright, fine... Just don't take too long.

Me: I won't~ :D


End file.
